Intel Nova Lake-S: The next desktop CPU should take a big step to 52 cores 66 comments
Image: Intel
Over the past few days, rumors have been condensing about Intel Nova Lake, the next desktop processor. After rumors of 48 cores, it is now said that 52 cores should deliver. It is divided into performance, efficiency and low-power electronic cores.
The structure is therefore planned as follows: 16 P cores, 32 electronic cores and 4 additional LPE cores are planned as the largest expansion stage. Makes a total of 52 grains and 52 threads. Corresponding modifications with lower expansion steps are also available for a smaller core.
New kernels for everyone!
All cores are based on a new architecture: Coyote Cove for P-Cores, Arctic Wolf for electronic cores and the LPE variant. In the office, these detached Lion Cove and Skymont. The core architectures continue to split in 2025/2026, there will be a three-part split: Panther Lake builds on Cougar Cove, Nova Lake builds on Coyote Coy, and Intel Diamond Rapids builds on Panther Cove as the next generation, including New AVX10 – Instructions and more.
Whether this really happens in the end remains to be seen. It’s a long time until 2026, and Intel has also shortened cores on the way to final performance in the past. So for Nova Lake there is not the first time 32 electronic crowns, which were already in the plan for Arrow Lake, but which ultimately did not come. Intel’s schedules have recently been notorious for being thrown on the pile.
Ultimately it should be a question of costs, because the calculation-die is correspondingly large or 8p + 16e-die installed twice, so the costs increase considerably. External production at TSMC in one of the most modern processes makes the product much more expensive, because with Core Ultra 200 the number of parts could be manageable at the start – this factor already plays into it. Nova Lake is once again being targeted for Intel production, but as Arrow Lake has shown, this can also overcome in the end.
The large cache also exists
The large L3/L4 cache at Intel, which had been manufactured for a long time, also exists for Nova Lake. According to previous information, however, they are not released in regular models. A P-Core variant without e-cores also exists, but not for consumers here.
Either way, it’ll all last until at least 2026. In the meantime, an Arrow Lake refresh will fill the gap and rumors have reported.
Topics: Intel Intel Nova Lake Intel Panther Lake Process Source: X (Twitter)
Marc deciphers processors by testing their performance for gaming, content creation, and artificial intelligence.
